The Horse of St. Mark's

Description / Expertise

Sickert repeatedly painted the sumptuous façade of the Basilica of St Mark’s but his presentation of the four prancing horses, dwarfed by the mosaic-framed central lunette and its flanking pinnacles, was without precedent. His viewpoint was unorthodox and this genius for design and his ability to crop an image for dramatic impact became significant features of his later work.
This is possibly his first oil of the subject. Its original owner was a friend of Sickert, the Irish novelist and critic, George Moore (1852–1933). On his death the work was acquired by Lady Cunard (1872–1948) as a memento of her long-standing amitié with Moore.